Thanks!
Those were taken with the Canon EFS 18-135. Yeah, auto focus does tend to wig out.
I have the Canon EF 50 1.8 that you mentioned, so I'll try that tonight.
I also have a Canon EFS 55-250. Would that be of any use?
Light wash wasn't bad, but the mountains or the beach will be better. If next weekend is clear, I may just head out to the Outer Banks and camp out on Pea Island. That's about as far out as I can get.
Oh, I also have a mount for my 4 inch telescope. I might have to give that a try and see what happens.